A liminal deity is a god or goddess in mythology who presides over thresholds, gates, or doorways; "a crosser of boundaries".[1] These gods are believed to oversee a state of transition of some kind; such as, the old to the new, the unconscious to the conscious state, the familiar to the unknown.[2]
Janus was believed to see over times of change, such as the New Year and the beginning of the day.
Look up liminal in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
The word "liminal", first attested to in English in 1884, comes from the Latin word "limen", meaning "threshold".[3] "Liminality" is a term given currency in twentieth century British cultural anthropologist by Victor Turner.[4] It is used to describe a state of transition; such as from the old to the new, from the familiar to the unknown, even from an unconscious to the conscious state.[2]
European
Greek mythology
Adonis, god of beauty and desire who spent part of his time in the underworld, and part on earth before his tragic death[5]
Charon, a psychopomp believed to ferry souls between the worlds of the living and the dead[6]
Dionysus, who in one myth is torn apart by Titans, but brought back to life
Cardea, goddess of health, thresholds, and door hinges and handles
Diana, as Diana Trivia she serves as the goddess of three-way crossroads and the underworld; often equated with the Greek Hecate
Forculus, Lima, and Limentinus, minor deities of thresholds or doorways; see indigitamenta
Janus, dual-faced god of gates, doors, doorways, beginnings and endings, for whom January is named
Mercury, messenger god and psychopomp; equivalent to the Greek Hermes and shares several of his functions, such as being a god of commerce, travelers, merchants, and thieves
Hermóðr, messenger of the Norse gods; he rode to Hel to plead for Baldr's return, ultimately being unsuccessful
Odin, god of war and death, among other things; he is described as at least once visiting the underworld on Sleipnir, raising a volva to interrogate, and visiting jotunn on three occasions in their domain in order to gather more wisdom
Baltic mythology
Užsparinė, Lithuanian goddess of land borders
Etruscan mythology
Culsans, a male deity with two faces, possibly a protector of gateways
Asian religions
Chinese mythology
Chen Huang Shen, the gods of walls and moats. Every major city had a City God appointed by the imperial government[9]
Makiubaya: the Ifugao divinities who watch over the gates of the village[10]
Manduyapit: the Manobo god who ferries departed souls across the red river before going to the afterworld[11]
Jangseung are traditionally placed at the boundaries of villages
Korean mythology
Jangseung, a totem pole traditionally placed at the edges of villages to mark for village boundaries and frighten away demons; also worshipped as tutelary deities[12]
Munsin, Korean deity of the door. He was considered one of the most powerful of the house gods (Gashin), especially in Jeju Island
Shinto
Izanagi, creator god who descended into Yomi to bring back his wife, only to be repulsed at how hideous she had become, run away, and seal the entrance to Yomi with a rock
Izanami, creator goddess who died, but could not leave Yomi and thus became queen of the underworld and the dead
Vietnamese mythology
Thành hoàng, god bless and protect villages or a larger area
Môn thần, the gods of doors
Hinduism
Agni, god of fire and messenger between gods and mortals, Ganesha seems to have at least partially taken over this role in modern Hinduism
Pushan, solar deity and psychopomp responsible for marriages, journeys, roads, the feeding of cattle, and overseeing the journey of the dead to the afterlife
Narasimha, presider over the threshold between interior and exterior
Attis, Phrygian vegetation deity; his self-mutilation, death, and resurrection represents the fruits of the earth, which die in winter only to rise again in the spring.
Christians believe Jesus crossed the boundary from the afterlife to earth during his resurrection.
African and American religions
African religions
Osiris, Ancient Egyptian god of the afterlife whose resurrection became associated with the cycles in nature, in particular the sprouting of vegetation and the annual flooding of the Nile River.
Legba, phallic crossroad spirit and trickster in West African Vodun and Haitian Vodou. He is the bringer of magic, master diviner and speaker of every language who facilitates communication between man and the gods. Legba is also the remover of obstacles and the guardian of the home and crossroads.
^"THE GREEK PANTHEON: HERMES". English Mythology Class Notes. Retrieved October 10, 2011.
^ abcNadkarni, Vithal. "Ganesha for good start". The Economic Times. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
^Harper, Douglas. "Online Etymology Dictionary". Retrieved October 10, 2011.
^Wolf, Allison. “The Liminality of Loki.” Scandinavian-Canadian studies 27 (2020): 106–113.
^Grimal, Pierre; Kershaw, Stephen (1990). A concise dictionary of classical mythology. Internet Archive. Oxford, England ; Cambridge, Mass., USA : Blackwell. ISBN978-0-631-16696-2.
^"A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology, Caanthus, Charis, Charon". www.perseus.tufts.edu. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
^Palmer, Richard E. . Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2011.
^"A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology, Perse'phone". www.perseus.tufts.edu. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
^"Living in the Chinese Cosmos | Asia for Educators". afe.easia.columbia.edu. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
^Jocano, F. L. (1969). Philippine Mythology. Quezon City: Capitol Publishing House Inc.
^Jocano, F. L. (1969). Philippine Mythology. Quezon City: Capitol Publishing House Inc.
^. June 27, 2006. Archived from the original on June 27, 2006. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
^Jenkins, Stephen. . Archived from the original on April 23, 2012. Retrieved October 10, 2011.
^Barnes, Charles Randall (1912). The People's Bible Encyclopedia: Biographical, Geographical, Historical, and Doctrinal : Illustrated by Nearly Four Hundred Engravings, Maps, Chats, Etc. People's Publication Society.
^"Jesus: The Liminal Gate – Two Churches". Retrieved November 9, 2021.
^"1 Corinthians 15:3–8". bible.oremus.org. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
February 21, 2023
liminal, deity, threshold, guardian, redirects, here, archetypal, character, hero, journey, esoteric, figure, guardian, threshold, liminal, deity, goddess, mythology, presides, over, thresholds, gates, doorways, crosser, boundaries, these, gods, believed, over. Threshold guardian redirects here For the archetypal character see Hero s journey For the esoteric figure see Guardian of the Threshold A liminal deity is a god or goddess in mythology who presides over thresholds gates or doorways a crosser of boundaries 1 These gods are believed to oversee a state of transition of some kind such as the old to the new the unconscious to the conscious state the familiar to the unknown 2 Janus was believed to see over times of change such as the New Year and the beginning of the day Types of liminal deities include dying and rising deities various agricultural deities psychopomps and those who descend into the underworld crossing the threshold between life and death Vegetation deities mimic the annual dying and returning of plant life making them seasonally cyclical liminal deities in contrast to the one time journey typical of the dying and rising myth Contents 1 Etymology 2 European 2 1 Greek mythology 2 2 Roman mythology 2 3 Norse mythology 2 4 Baltic mythology 2 5 Etruscan mythology 3 Asian religions 3 1 Chinese mythology 3 2 Filipino mythology 3 3 Korean mythology 3 4 Shinto 3 5 Vietnamese mythology 3 6 Hinduism 3 7 Mesopotamian mythology 3 8 Phrygian mythology 4 Middle East and Abrahamic religions 4 1 Christianity 5 African and American religions 5 1 African religions 5 2 Afro American religions 6 See also 7 NotesEtymology Edit Look up liminal in Wiktionary the free dictionary The word liminal first attested to in English in 1884 comes from the Latin word limen meaning threshold 3 Liminality is a term given currency in twentieth century British cultural anthropologist by Victor Turner 4 It is used to describe a state of transition such as from the old to the new from the familiar to the unknown even from an unconscious to the conscious state 2 European EditGreek mythology Edit Adonis god of beauty and desire who spent part of his time in the underworld and part on earth before his tragic death 5 Charon a psychopomp believed to ferry souls between the worlds of the living and the dead 6 Dionysus who in one myth is torn apart by Titans but brought back to life Enodia goddess of crossroads Hecate goddess of magic and crossroads Hermes god of roads merchants travelers trade thievery thieves cunning and animal husbandry messenger of Zeus and psychopomp 7 Iris goddess of the rainbow and messenger of Hera could travel to Hades and return Persephone often seen as a goddess of spring and new growth was believed to spend part of her time in the underworld and part on earth 8 Mercury was a god of travellers like his Greek equivalent Hermes Roman mythology Edit Bacchus Roman name for Dionysus Cardea goddess of health thresholds and door hinges and handles Diana as Diana Trivia she serves as the goddess of three way crossroads and the underworld often equated with the Greek Hecate Forculus Lima and Limentinus minor deities of thresholds or doorways see indigitamenta Janus dual faced god of gates doors doorways beginnings and endings for whom January is named Mercury messenger god and psychopomp equivalent to the Greek Hermes and shares several of his functions such as being a god of commerce travelers merchants and thieves Portunus god of keys doors and livestock Proserpina Roman equivalent of Persephone who spent some of her time living in the world of the dead Terminus god who protected boundary markersNorse mythology Edit Gna Frigg s personal messenger she rode the horse Hofvarpnir who could travel over both sea and sky Heimdall Hermodr messenger of the Norse gods he rode to Hel to plead for Baldr s return ultimately being unsuccessful Odin god of war and death among other things he is described as at least once visiting the underworld on Sleipnir raising a volva to interrogate and visiting jotunn on three occasions in their domain in order to gather more wisdomBaltic mythology Edit Uzsparine Lithuanian goddess of land bordersEtruscan mythology Edit Culsans a male deity with two faces possibly a protector of gatewaysAsian religions EditChinese mythology Edit Chen Huang Shen the gods of walls and moats Every major city had a City God appointed by the imperial government 9 Menshen the gods of doors Chen Wenlong god of city walls in FuzhouFilipino mythology Edit Makiubaya the Ifugao divinities who watch over the gates of the village 10 Manduyapit the Manobo god who ferries departed souls across the red river before going to the afterworld 11 Jangseung are traditionally placed at the boundaries of villages Korean mythology Edit Jangseung a totem pole traditionally placed at the edges of villages to mark for village boundaries and frighten away demons also worshipped as tutelary deities 12 Munsin Korean deity of the door He was considered one of the most powerful of the house gods Gashin especially in Jeju IslandShinto Edit Izanagi creator god who descended into Yomi to bring back his wife only to be repulsed at how hideous she had become run away and seal the entrance to Yomi with a rock Izanami creator goddess who died but could not leave Yomi and thus became queen of the underworld and the deadVietnamese mythology Edit Thanh hoang god bless and protect villages or a larger area Mon thần the gods of doorsHinduism Edit Agni god of fire and messenger between gods and mortals Ganesha seems to have at least partially taken over this role in modern Hinduism Ganesha The god of beginnings 13 Referred to as the Indian Janus by 18th century scholar William Jones 2 Pushan solar deity and psychopomp responsible for marriages journeys roads the feeding of cattle and overseeing the journey of the dead to the afterlife Narasimha presider over the threshold between interior and exteriorMesopotamian mythology Edit Dumuzi Tammuz Inanna IshtarPhrygian mythology Edit Attis Phrygian vegetation deity his self mutilation death and resurrection represents the fruits of the earth which die in winter only to rise again in the spring Middle East and Abrahamic religions EditChristianity Edit Jesus Christ is presented as a crosser of borders 14 15 The Resurrection of Jesus describes his dying and rising 16 Christians believe Jesus crossed the boundary from the afterlife to earth during his resurrection African and American religions EditAfrican religions Edit Osiris Ancient Egyptian god of the afterlife whose resurrection became associated with the cycles in nature in particular the sprouting of vegetation and the annual flooding of the Nile River Legba phallic crossroad spirit and trickster in West African Vodun and Haitian Vodou He is the bringer of magic master diviner and speaker of every language who facilitates communication between man and the gods Legba is also the remover of obstacles and the guardian of the home and crossroads Afro American religions Edit Elegua Eshu Exu in Candomble the messenger god and psychopomp in Santeria and Candomble See also EditLiminal being Being that cannot be easily placed into a single category of existence Gate guardian Symbolic guardian at a military facility Household deity Deity or spirit associated with the homeNotes Edit THE GREEK PANTHEON HERMES English Mythology Class Notes Retrieved October 10 2011 a b c Nadkarni Vithal Ganesha for good start The Economic Times Retrieved January 12 2023 Harper Douglas Online Etymology Dictionary Retrieved October 10 2011 Wolf Allison The Liminality of Loki Scandinavian Canadian studies 27 2020 106 113 Grimal Pierre Kershaw Stephen 1990 A concise dictionary of classical mythology Internet Archive Oxford England Cambridge Mass USA Blackwell ISBN 978 0 631 16696 2 A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology Caanthus Charis Charon www perseus tufts edu Retrieved January 3 2023 Palmer Richard E The Liminality of Hermes and the Meaning of Hermeneutics Archived from the original on September 28 2007 Retrieved October 10 2011 A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology Perse phone www perseus tufts edu Retrieved January 3 2023 Living in the Chinese Cosmos Asia for Educators afe easia columbia edu Retrieved January 8 2023 Jocano F L 1969 Philippine Mythology Quezon City Capitol Publishing House Inc Jocano F L 1969 Philippine Mythology Quezon City Capitol Publishing House Inc Welcome To Korea Now Society amp The Arts June 27 2006 Archived from the original on June 27 2006 Retrieved December 20 2022 Jenkins Stephen GANESHA Archived from the original on April 23 2012 Retrieved October 10 2011 Barnes Charles Randall 1912 The People s Bible Encyclopedia Biographical Geographical Historical and Doctrinal Illustrated by Nearly Four Hundred Engravings Maps Chats Etc People s Publication Society Jesus The Liminal Gate Two Churches Retrieved November 9 2021 1 Corinthians 15 3 8 bible oremus org Retrieved December 19 2022 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Liminal deity amp oldid 1136358964, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
